


snapshots of a love story

by sarih93



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2018-08-12
Packaged: 2019-06-22 14:48:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15584283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarih93/pseuds/sarih93
Summary: small moments of an unlikely love story





	1. september 2017

**Author's Note:**

> I know this is way too short but I just wanted to write this out and see if anyone was interested in reading it. if I continue it will be something like my o'solo fic written in reverse.

**2017**

_Alx wat did u think of JJ pickinup KO?_

The question was so hard to read that it took Kelley a moment to realize that she had done it out loud. On a live stream. Fuck.

Alex was also surprised. So far, the questions they’ve received had been innocent. This one though, was kind of tricky.

“Like, what did I think of the goal celebration?” Alex looked at Kelley for backup.

“Yeah like, were you super jelly?” Kelley joked.

“If anything, I was jealous of her,” Alex played along while she thought of a way to answer the question honestly. “It was a special moment for sure. The whole game was. Of course. But that moment was a little bit more special for me because you’re one of my best friends and Jay is,” Alex doesn’t really have a word for what Julie means to her.

Girlfriend would be the simplest way to put it, but it feels too simple. However, a live stream with fans was not the right moment to try and redefine her relationship.

“Almost as important as me?” Kelley filled in the silence with another joke.

“Yeah.” Alex squeezed Kelley’s knee.

“Let’s see. We have time for a few more.”

Kelley didn’t make the same mistake twice picking questions and there were no more surprises for the rest of the live stream.

“Sorry about the Julie question, Al.”

Alex shrugged. “Don’t be.” She’s had worse.

“People are always curious about soccer’s power couple.”

Alex smirked. She used to hate that stupid nickname.

Kelley checked her phone, she still has a lot of congratulatory messages to answer but she ignored them. “Allie wants to know what we’re doing for lunch.”

“I don’t know. You can pick, I should go wake up Jay from her nap.” Alex didn’t look up from her phone. Alerting her manager to check the reactions to the live stream.

“I always have to pick.” Kelley complained. “Actually wake her up though, and don’t start any hanky panky. I’m hungry and you’re buying me lunch.”

“Shut up.” Alex shoved her. “Send me the address and we’ll meet you there.”


	2. January 2013/ January 2018

**January 2013**

Jules exhales slowly as she steps off the bus. This is the moment she’s ben waiting for since she got the callup. Not that getting to know her new teammates hasn’t been fun. It’s just that her entire future depends on how good of an impression she makes today and every other practice session until it’s time to go home.

“How are you feeling kid? Are you ready?” Christie asks as they walk towards the locker room.

Julie nods. “I’m ready,” she answers with determination.

Last night, after she giving up on sleeping 8 hours, Julie came up with a plan to stand out today. It’s a pretty simple plan: stop Alex Morgan. It’s nothing personal, of course. Alex seems really nice, and gorgeous although that’s not what Julie is focusing on right now. It’s just that the combination of her speed, technique, and infamous competitive nature makes her the hardest forward to defend against.

Go big or go home. Almost literally.

The plan works. Not completely because Alex is ridiculously fast and after she accelerates Julie’s only way to stop her would be to drag her by the training top (which she won’t do. Obviously). But Julie can tell that her efforts are being noticed by the coaching staff. After a particularly nice tackle Hope offers her a high five. Julie plays it cool and doesn’t fangirl. Much, anyway.

Alex also starts to notice her. She amps it up and begins to run faster and play harder whenever she has to go against Julie.

Julie likes the forward’s intensity. She loves how unapologetically competitive everyone is. Everyone wants to be the best. No excuses.

By the end of practice Julie’s running on fumes. She is even looking forward to the ice bath. She’s going to need to stay there for a long time if she wants to be able to move tomorrow.

“Good job rookie.” Abby gives her a pat on the back while they’re cleaning up. Julie stops slouching at the compliment. “You were on fire today, you made Baby Horse run!”

Alex obviously hears her nickname and turns around from her conversation with Tobin. Julie can’t tell but she figures that Abby must point on her direction because Alex zeroes in on her.

“You’re really good Julie.”

“Thanks,” Julie replies softly. The compliment had none of the energy of Abby’s but it’s still clearly sincere. It means a lot, coming from the player known as a sore loser.

 

 

Every single scrimmage after that, if they were on opposite teams, Julie looked to mark Alex.  Everyone could tell that Alex also put an extra effort whenever she found herself going 1v1 against the young central back. Neither one of them was ever trying to hurt the other but soccer is still a contact sport.

And that’s how Julie ends up flat on her back in the middle of the field. With a bloody nose and worried blue eyes starting at her.

“Are you okay? I didn’t see you there.”

“’m fine, just need some ice.” Julie waves away the apology. She knows that they were both going for the ball. She thinks she won and that’s why Alex ended up heading her nose. But her memory is a little hazy.

The trainers won’t let her go back in after they stop the bleeding, but Julie doesn’t care.

This is what it means to train with the best.

 

***

 

**January 2018**

“Do you guys remember your first camp?” Christen asks during the first team dinner.

“I was so nervous I almost forgot how to tie my cleats,” Kelley jokes.

“So, not much has changed,” Tobin chimes in. Kelley flips her off while everyone else at the table laughs.

“Alex broke Julie’s nose on like, the second day Julie trained with us,” Kelley throws Alex under the bus.

“It wasn’t on purpose!” Alex pouts.

“She didn’t break my nose,” Julie defends Alex. “It was just a little bit of blood.”

“Thank you, baby,” Alex beams at Julie while Kelley pretends to gag.

“You two have always been weirdly aggressive with each other. Like a little boy tugging on a girl’s pigtails. Except you’re both the boy. And the girl,” Kelley rambles.

Alex looks vaguely confused. Julie is just trying to wrap her head around Kelley’s reasoning.

“Wormy, I think you need more carbs.” Allie condescendingly pats Kelley’s head. “You’ll make more sense then.”

Kelley shrugs but she lets it go.

Alex wishes she could let it go too. But it’s not the first time someone has commented on how easy it is for Julie and her to play aggressively against each other. Alex laughed it off, saying it was normal but now she’s not so sure. This is the first time she’s dated a teammate so there’s really no way for her to know.

Alex waits to get Julie alone to bring it up to her girlfriend.

Luckily for her, the coaching staff is letting them room together. It’s the first time since they came forward with their relationship that they’ve been allowed to be roommates. There were a few whistles when it was announced. Mostly from Mal and the Portland kids.

There’s nothing exciting about that first night though. They’re here to train so they just take turns using the bathroom. The second bed remains untouched though. There was no discussion about it. After Alex finishes her skin care routine she just gets in bed with Jules.

“What do you think about what Kelley said?”

“When? She says a lot of things babe,” Julie answers distractedly while she turns off her phone. It’s Alex’s phone that has the alarm programmed.

“Is it weird how easy it is for us to play against each other?”

Julie takes so long to answer thar Alex thinks she fell asleep.

“No. I love playing against you, and that we never feel like we have to hold back. Playing against you makes me a better player,” Julie answers sincerely.

Alex squeezes Julie’s waist. She loves this girl so much.

“Good. Because I’m not going easy on you tomorrow.”

Julie chuckles and presses a kiss on Alex’s head. “Then you’re going to need to be well rested. Go to sleep Lex. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

And in no time, they’re both asleep. Happy knowing they get to play the sport they love so much with the people that mean the most to them.


End file.
